Being the captain of yourself

Being the captain of yourself

I have written recently about the importance of attitude if we are to be effective managers. A good attitude is many things but it starts with wanting what you are doing. This is the key to calmness, reasonableness and humour – qualities that are essential if we are to be the captain of others.

So, what do I mean by ‘wanting what you are doing?’ The great Zen teacher Joko Beck says that anxiety is a measure of the gap between where we are and where we think we should be. So, it makes sense to reduce, or eliminate, this gap by completely accepting the situation we are in (good or bad) and working with it.

This is to deal in realities, which is what all effective managers do. It is also to deal in enjoyment, which is ultimately what work is all about.